Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Congratulations with the feast of the Resurrection of the Lord, with the after-feast of the Elevation of the Cross, as well as with the day of the memory of the Holy Great-Martyr Nikitas the Goth, who suffered for Christ at the hands of his pagan fellow tribesmen in the year 372.

On days when the memory of a martyr is celebrated, we often hear a Gospel reading from the tenth chapter of Matthew. In this excerpt we read how Christ, as He sent His Holy Apostles and Disciples to preach as sheep amongst wolves, instructed them to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. Today we heard exactly this Gospel lesson; therefore, let us focus our attention on these interesting words.

The words of our Lord Jesus Christ are correct, because the followers of Christ throughout history have been and even up to our own time continue to remain as if helpless sheep in the midst of evil enemies. There is not one century in which there have been no Christian martyrs, and even in the most untroubled times there are examples of saints who were surrounded by ill-wishers. The inevitability of this situation could, of course, cast even the most zealous Christian into a state of sorrow, but this does not have to be so. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself sent His friends and apostles, as well as us, into the evil and dark world to be meek, quiet, helpless preachers of His death and resurrection. God has willed that this unjust situation prevail, therefore it should not dispirit, but on the contrary, inspire us.

Our Lord and God Jesus Christ taught His friends to be wise like serpents and harmless as doves. Of course, in saying this He did not mean for his disciples to be clever and insidious like that snake which seduced our foremother Eve. Blessed Theophylact explains that a serpent always protects its head from enemies and, at times, even sacrifices its body to protect its head. Christians must act in a similar fashion and always protect their head. For a Christian, teaches St. Theophylact, this head is Christ and faith in Him. Therefore, a believer must always be ready to defend Christ and remain faithful to Him, even if such action brings harm to him or her personally.

The same saint reminds us that a snake slithers through narrow places in order to shed its old skin. True believers do likewise, because they enter into the Kingdom of Heaven through the straight or narrow gate, that is, they live an ascetic and morally upright life, constraining their own will for the sake of keeping the commandments. Through repentance, they throw off the ‘old man,’ that is, their sins and passions, and are thus renewed. So that nobody would think that Christ was allowing His apostles to be tricksters and swindlers, He added that the disciples must be as harmlessness as doves. In the following verses of today’s Gospel reading, Christ specifies how enemies will torment the faithful sheep. Today’s Gospel message ends with the words that “he that endureth to the end shall be saved.”

The Holy Hierarch John Chrysostom concludes his explanation of these words with a very beautiful exhortation. He notes that our Lord Jesus Christ is the shepherd of sheep; therefore, if we wish to be under His protection, it is imperative that we remain as meek sheep. As soon as we stop being simple and helpless, we cease to be sheep, we cease to be members of Christ’s sheepfold and, naturally, we lose our shepherd, Jesus Christ the Saviour. The history of the Christian Church clearly shows the veracity of this exhortation. Various corporations, societies, governments, and even empires with their money, power, and armies appear and then disappear, but the Church and her helpless and meek members continue to exist and to spread the salvific faith in the crucified and risen Christ. Through the prayers of the Holy Great-Martyr Nikitas and all the holy martyrs, may we always remain sheep so as not to be deprived our Shepherd.

priest Alexis